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Women's unequal political representation remains a problem all over the world, including in Albania. Women constitute approximately 50 percent of the 2.88 million people in Albania but, only 28 percent of Albanian parliamentary seats are held by women.
“Barriers to women's participation in... Read More

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Morgan Martinez

Recent Posts

It is part of human nature to suppress and ignore various uncomfortable indicators. The belief that life as we know it, will continue more or less in the same direction even with clear signs showing the opposite, is very hard to counter with rational thoughts and acts until the change becomes too... Read More

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Ilija Vojnovic

The International Republican Institute (IRI) recognizes the unique leadership ability, from mitigating and negotiating policies during transitional phases to decision-making during conflict, of women, and that their involvement in the political process leads to better outcomes not only for... Read More

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Mercedes Blackwood

Throughout Democracy Speaks, you can read about IRI’s political party trainings. You can find out what kind of curriculum we teach, how many people attended and what the training was like.
But a lingering question you may have is: what happens after the training?
Since 2014, IRI has worked with... Read More

Posted by

Marian Hale

Senior Program Associate

Youssef Ajraoui

This past May, my son was born. As I sat in the hospital room and held him in my hand, I thought what many new parents probably think: how important it is to pass the world to the next generation.
Youth are our collective future. Too often young people are excluded from the decision making process... Read More

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Dylan Diggs

As we mark and celebrate International Youth Day, young Jordanians are increasingly stepping into the spotlight of the country’s democratic landscape.
The increased engagement in the political discourse is a welcomed development considering 70 percent of the kingdom’s population is under the age... Read More

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Ramsey Day

In countries across the globe, women are often disproportionately excluded from the political process. In an effort to combat this political trend, this year with support from the Middle East Partnership Initiative, IRI launched a program to increase women’s political participation in Libya.
Our... Read More

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Libya Team

The International Republican Institute established the Arab Women’s Leadership Institute (AWLI) nearly one decade ago. Founded in 2008, AWLI has brought together over one hundred women across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region based on one... Read More

Posted by

Mercedes Blackwood

I am energized by the incredible courage, energy and resolve of the Libyan women that participated in the five-day training “Increasing Women Political Participation in Libya,” sponsored by the International Republican Institute, where I was honored to be one of three facilitators.
During the... Read More

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Bettina Rodriguez Aguilera

Not long ago, my friend and colleague, Hal Ferguson, wrote on this blog about the rise of ISIS and in his opinion the way to defeat ISIS through more effective and inclusive local governance.
While many might... Read More